CHIPS & PUTTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION www.ptga.org Founded in 1936 VOL. 15 NO. 4 June 2009 Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club Duane Schell, GCS Mountaintop, PA June brings us to Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club in Mountain Top for our monthly meeting. Duane Schell has agreed to host us again and allow us to enjoy the 27 hole layout. Blue Ridge Trail is situ- ated on 750 acres which contain three nines that married the original holes with the new construction. Duane is a Penn State graduate who is in his eleventh season at Blue Ridge Trail. Prior to becoming superintendent at Blue Ridge Trail his experience was gathered at Saucon Valley, Doylestown, and Sugarloaf Golf Club. This year Aaron Franklin joined the staff at the club as the assistant superinten- dent. Aaron is a Rutgers graduate who has previously worked in the area at Glenmaura National Golf Club. Blue Ridge Trail is maintained by a staff of 20 in the summer and a crew of 4 in the winter. They main- tain the 4 acres of Greens, 5.3 acres of tees, 40 acres of Fairways, and 80 acres of rough out of a shop that is rather centrally located on the property, with additional equipment stored in the cart storage area. Originally called Alberden Acres when it was a 9 hole layout, it has been transformed into Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club with the designs of Ault & Clark and Dan Schlagel. Our speaker this month is Dr. John Kaminski, head of the two year program at Penn State University. Dr. Kaminski will be speaking on the subject of dollar spot management. This month we will be playing a modified scramble as our tournament format. The sponsors for this month’s meeting are Andre and Son and Seeton Turf. Page 2 President's Message..... Officers & Directors 2009 Thank you to Jason Brown of Berwick C.C. for hosting our May meeting and to Duane Schell of Blue Ridge Trail G.C. for hosting our June meeting. July’s meeting will be at Jack Frost National, hosted by Bryan Nuss. This is the first time the PTGA will be at Jack Frost, so many PRESIDENT members will be getting their first chance to play there. Darrin Larkin, Panorama Golf Course 570-222-9260 The clam bake isn’t that far off, either. We will be starting to VICE PRESIDENT contact our tee sponsors soon, but if anyone knows an individual, Rick Anglemyer, Water Gap CC 570-424-6391 group, or business that would like to contribute to our scholarship fund, please feel free to contact me. We had excellent attendance at TREASURER John Downer, Elkview C.C. Elmhurst C.C. last year and great support from our tee sponsors. I hope 570-840-0078 this year can be even more successful. SECRETARY Ray Wadell, Elmhurst CC I would also like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Fourth of July. 570-842-4705 DIRECTORS Steven Chirip, Grass Roots, Inc. 973-418-3468 Matthew Brown, Philadelphia Turf Darrin Larkin 215-340-5401 Greg Boring, Glen Oak C.C. 570-586-5791 Patrick Knelly, Sugarloaf Golf Club 570-384-4724 Thomas Height, Frosty Valley C.C. 570-275-4266 Editor’s Notes….. Chris Snopkowski, Wyoming Valley C.C. __________________________ CHIPS & PUTTS STAFF EDITOR Jim Gurzler, George Schofield Co. 732-433-5474 jim@gurzler.com Well, summer begins this month, believe it or not. Rainfall seems the Managing Editor norm thus far and indications are that we are still under normal for Melinda Wisnosky 570-388-2167 the year. With the forecast at the time of this writing we should be Editorial Committee close to on pace for the year. Hopefully the moisture and humidity Darrin Larkin will abate as the summer really gets into swing so those tight budgets Matt Brown won’t be stretched to the breaking point, adding even more stress to Past President the summer. Duane Schell, Blue Ridge Trail G. C. 570-868-8113 djschell@epix.net We have had good meeting attendance thus far, thanks to the moderate weather. I believe that our season will only get stronger with the returning venues and the new venues that we have coming up. PTGA Office R.R. 1, Box 219 Harding, PA 18643 Phone/Fax: 570-388-2167 Jim Gurzler Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and/or person quoted, and may not represent the position of PTGA. Information contained in this publication may be used freely, in whole or in part, without special permission, as long as the true context is maintained. We would appreciate a credit line. Page Page 3 3 Saucon Valley Country Club To the Rescue! We invite you to welcome Saucon Valley Country Club’s newest member, Max. Having been with the Club for a month, he’s made himself right at home. Rather than playing a round, he’s patrolling the course, ridding Saucon’s 800 acres of the perennial pest, the goose. Adopted by Gabe Wochley, Saucon’s Grace German Shorthaired Pointer, Max, Course Superintendent, Max represents his German Joins Saucon Valley Country Club Just in Time Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) breed well. He was quick to for 2009 U.S. Women’s Open! learn his new job, desires to please and at the end of the day nothing makes him happier than settling in Friendly and focused, he draws the attention of Sau- with his new owner. con’s members who, as one member observed, may wish to be reincarnated as the next Max, spending Surrendered to German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue PA their day on the course. by his former owner, who was to be deployed, Max’s journey to his new home started when Gabe submit- German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue PA is a nonprofit ted an application through the GSP rescue of PA organization that has re-homed hundreds of GSPs over website. When asked why he chose a GSP and a res- the last 14 years. All dogs that come through the pro- cue, Gabe said, “Having had a Weimaraner as a gram are evaluated by experienced volunteers, child, I knew the pointer breed was high energy and brought up to date on vaccinations and loved the outdoors and there are so many dogs in res- spayed/neutered before being placed into their new, cue that need that “I decided to give finding the right loving homes. For more information and to view avail- rescue a chance”. able dogs, please visit www.gsprescuepa.com. Deb Orpen, one of the founding volunteers of GSP Rescue PA (active since the mid-1990s) is committed to pairing dogs and owners.“Volunteers, particularly those who foster, work very hard to assess each GSP and home in order to make placements that offer a good fit for the dog and their new family.” Another ac- tive GSP volunteer, Jessi Wyke believes GSPs and golf courses are made for each other, “GSPs have high prey drive but are able to be called off easily. They would consider chasing geese great fun.” Max’s goose chasing training started with Ron Burda of Vogel Hund Kennels and Training Academy who noted, “Training GSPs for goose chasing is like training a flushing breed without the need to retrieve. The GSP is a great fit for this job. I hope to see more golf courses using them. At 5 AM each morning, Max rushes through breakfast to wait anxiously at the door for the 6 AM start to his workday. He loves his new home and new job. Page 4 May Meeting Results from score of 346 was Ed Ladamus, Mark Brown, Patrick Berwick, PA Knelly, and Brian Bachman. The second place team with a 354 was Steve Chirip, Our May meeting was hosted by Jason Brown at Kevin Vrabel, Berwick Country Club. We were lucky that day as the Tom Drayer, and weather was wonderful, as were course conditions Herb Williams. when the crew from the Poconos took to the course. Our skill prizes Prior to our were Long Drive tee off, Dave - Patrick Knelly Dougherty of and Closest to ISTRC was in to the Pin - Bob Sim- speak about mons. aerification, soil amending, and Skins were awarded to Tom Height for the 5th how to marry hole, Chris Butler for the 17th hole, Herb Williams them. Dave is for the 1st hole and using his local knowledge, the owner of Jason Brown took two skins for holes 2 and 9. International Sports Turf Re- Thanks again to Dave Doherty for coming out search Center, to enlighten us with his knowledge of the soil system. Inc in Lenexa KS. Thanks also to Jason Brown and the staff at Berwick for a great meeting and a really fun event. We had almost 40 players at this event, which fea- tured a blind draw team format which was drawn af- Next month is Blue Ridge Trail so try to make some ter play was completed. The winning team with a time to come out and enjoy a day with your peers. Our golf meetings this year have been well attended and have been thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. However, we would like to emphasize the importance of sending in your reservations in a timely manner. Please contact Melinda by the deadline indicated on the reservation form. Too many people showing up at a meeting who are not registered can create a problem for our host golf course, both with golfing and dining. So please take a few minutes to call, email or fax Melinda so we can have an accurate count for each meeting. Contact information is always on the meeting notice. Anyone showing up at a meeting unregistered will be charged an extra fee of $10.00. Thank you for your cooperation. The PTGA Golf Committee Page 5 Less Turf + Less Water = Less Cost Superintendents across the country are under Savings associated with turf reduction pressure to reduce costs yet, at the same time, not ♦ Less Mowing and Turf Care sacrifice playing conditions. Though you can’t draw ♦ Less Fertilization blood from a stone, there are ways to accomplish this ♦ Less Water Use course maintenance dilemma, and one of them is to ♦ Less Pumping Cost reduce turf. While it sounds simple, reducing areas of ♦ Less Irrigation Maintenance and Capital Expenses managed turf and in turn, reducing water use, are ♦ Reduced Areas of Drainage Concern often overlooked by courses when it becomes ♦ Reduced Areas of Seasonal Debris necessary to trim operating costs. The reason is often a concern for aesthetics, strategy and pace of play. All Some Associated Benefits of which are crucial considerations. To address these ♦ Improved Visual Definition of Holes concerns, some courses are utilizing what we call a ♦ Better Tree Health “Turf Assessment Plan” (TAP) to get at the heart of the ♦ Environmental Stewardship issue and answer the questions, “Can we responsibility ♦ Better Aesthetics reduce turf…and how much money will it save us?” ♦ Enhanced Strategy We sometimes prepare a TAP as part of an overall In addition to turf reduction, superintendents can save Master Plan. Long range plans are essential to all golf thousands of dollars in costs with modified mowing facilities, even those that are relatively new. A practices such as limiting themselves to four cutting roadmap for the future can save thousands of dollars heights: greens, tees/approaches (with a riding as courses make emergency repairs, capital mower), fairways, and one height of cut for the rough. expenditures and planning decisions. Also, adjusting maintenance practices for hazards can dramatically reduce costs. Most TAPs include three primary components: 1) An evaluation of areas that can potentially be Mark Fine is a Golf Course Architect removed from managed turf, but with careful (www.finegolfdesign.com) based in Allentown, PA. planning for playability, pace of play and irrigation Part of his mission is to help educate golfers and integration superintendents on a variety of golf architecture 2) landscape solutions for treating areas after topics. Fine recently co-authored a book with fellow removal of turf architect Forrest Richardson devoted to these topics, 3) a cost analysis. The investment for a “TAP” is “Bunkers, Pits and Other Hazards” (published by Wiley generally a fraction of the cost of a full master and available through book retailers), which is now in plan. its second printing. Page 6 Page 7 Join Turf Equipment Supply at PNC Field on Thursday, July 9, 2009. Matt Brown and TES invite members of the PTGA and their immediate families to enjoy a baseball game. Game time is 7 PM Contact Matt Brown to make reservations. 100 seats are available on a first come first served basis. John Holick, Superintendent at Knoebels Three Ponds once again made available special discounts for golf course superintendents and their families throughout the state. Locations in NY, NJ, PA, CT On June 29th, the discounts were Ph 973-379-9314 made available for both the park Fax 973-379-6504 and the golf course. Contact Fred Rapp Mike Yarussi Family and friends enjoyed a great day Ken Givens at this wonderful facility. Suppliers of all your irrigation needs Chips & Putts PATRON SPONSORS AERIFICATION AND OVERSEEDING IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Atlantic Irrigation Joe Jaskot 973.445.9418 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Turf Equip. & Supply George Skawski 610.554.9366 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 710.933.5801 Matt Brown 484-357-6312 EQUIPMENT PLANT PROTECTANTS Aer-Core, Inc. Dennis DeSanctis 610.608.3181 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Turf Equip. & Supply Matt Brown 484.357.6312 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 George Skawski 610.554.9366 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 SynaTek Mike Zellner 484.357.9197 Syngenta Lee A. Kozsey 610.861.8174 FERTILIZER Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 SEED & SOD Genesis Turfgrass Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 East Coast Sod & Seed Kevin Driscoll 609.760.4099 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 SynaTek Mike Zellner 484.357.9197 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 SynaTek Mike Zellner 484.357.9197 GREEN AND TEE SUPPLIES Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 TOPDRESSING / SOIL AMENDMENTS Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 570.278.1131 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Blue Ridge Peat Farms Gene Evans 570.443.9596 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 SynaTek Mike Zellner 484.357.9197 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 SynaTek Mike Zellner 484.357.9197 Support our Sponsors - They support us! PTGA MEETING SCHEDULE POCONO ROUNDUP POCONO ROUNDUP 2009 Golf Schedule June 24 Blue Ridge Trail G. C. Condolences John Kaminski, Penn State Our condolences to Kelly Kressler who lost his mother July 21 Jack Frost National Starla Kressler this past May. Mark Fine, Fine Golf Design Aug 17 Elmhurst Clambake Sept 15 Huntsville Golf Club News Around the Area Oct 15 Glenmaura National Championship Wild Pines is now being managed by Ron Jaworski Golf. Local Tournaments Turf Equipment Supply will again be hosting a night at U.S. Womens’ Open Saucon Valley CC July 9-12th the ballpark. See inside for details. Northeast PA Classic Elmhurst CC Moscow, PA August 27-30th The Barclays Fed Ex Cup Playoff Liberty National Jersey City NJ August 27– 30th POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION R.R. 1, BOX 219 POSTAGE HARDING, PA 18643 NAME & ADDRESS ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED. 888-384-8676 www.turf-equipment.com